I have a 85 xj 2door, ive got dana 60s front and rear, th400, np208 for CHEAP. but now im tryin to figure out what motor to go with, i want fuel injection, and am going to be running 39x14.5x16 boggers. Im in debate with the 4.3 vortect or spending more and getin a 350 vortec. advice on what to do, and anyone whos done either swap help would be nice. thanks.  

stuffing a v8 in a cherokee would be a challange. so id sugest the v6 and supercharge it.  Personally id go with a 4.6 stroker from golden   there rated at aprox 260 hp (their ad in the back of JP) you could talk to golden about adding a supercharger to gain more power from their 4.6. Iv also read about a 4.7 stroker producing 300hp (in a recent issue of jp about the silverlake sand dunes).   the 4.0 is a great engin and lasts forever. i got over 150,000 out of my first cherokee with a verry poorley maintained 4.0 that overheated several times (bad radiator) and had bad pistonrings or valve seals and blew some oil onto the airfilter,  both of these were present when i bought the truck with 114,000 and after the rust and bee nests got to me i finally let the scrapyard take it away  but the motor still ran great with great power and reliable starts.  i also have a 96 chevy blazer with the 4.6vortec and it overheated ONCE and blew a intakemanifold gasket.  While the vortec is a smoth engin with nice power my 98 cherokee 4.0 seems stronger and quicker and i feel more confident that if it overheats (which is a problem off road espically since AAA wont tow you out of a backwoods 4x4 trail) i wont destroy my engine to run it hot if i have to to get somewhere with water etc....   just my opinion  id go with the 4.6 from golden.  but if your set on the vortec ill sell you my blazer for 1600 and you can use the engin and have all the goodies youll need to make it run (you know computer etc.  

Fitting the V-8 will be a pain. But the V-6 will likely leave you wishing for more power. Especially with those tires and axles. That's a tough one.  

With all of these mods, don't forget that you have a unabody. What is all of this torque going to do to the frame and body?   TWIST AND CRACK.  I have seen the Vv-8 in a XJ but mit is crouded.